


Happy Families (Adoption Edition)

by IceboundEmu



Category: LoveLink (Video Game)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Characters turned to kids, F/M, Jake and Zayn run a coffee shop, Jonathan is an architect, M/M, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:20:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28176792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceboundEmu/pseuds/IceboundEmu
Summary: A meeting in a coffee shopPlaydate for the kids, chance for the adults to catch up on gossip.
Relationships: Jake Gonzales/Zayn Kassab, Jonathan Hayes/Ryan Byrne
Kudos: 2





	Happy Families (Adoption Edition)

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic that assaulted me whilst I was trying to be a normal functioning human being, came home, wrote it out, now inflicting it on you. Thanks for reading. 
> 
> I de-aged some of the characters to kid form, then decided who I'd place them with to make happy families. 
> 
> For reference the Adults are all 25-27 (play with their ages as suits you) Charlie is 4, Sam is 5, Blake, Keanu and Alex are all 9.
> 
> Further chapters will be added if I decide to time travel and write about the adoption process/fit more fluff interactions in/Introduce MC and Austin as a paring (with little Jamie in tow)

As far as trade went it was a quiet morning, which Jake was eternally grateful for because it appeared to be one of the days that Charlie had decided to graft himself to Jake’s leg and moving round the shop to serve customers was, challenging, to say the least.

Zayn looked up from the dishes and offered him a sympathetic smile at his current predicament, but knew better than to try and remove Charlie, which would just result in him having a breakdown. The little boy had only been with them for a few months from the adoption agency and they were still working out what his triggers were. He went though clingy periods where he refused to be separated from Jake for even a second, screaming if either Zayn, Keanu or Alex got too close for comfort. Easy enough to manage if they were at home, where Jake could just cuddle on the sofa with him until he felt secure enough to let go, less so in a work environment where he was expected to put the customers first.

At the thought of the two older boys Jake hazarded a quick glance in their direction, pleased to see both were still happily settled with their art supplies and hot chocolate in one of the booths. Alex had fussed a little that he was limited to using felt tip pens, but experience had shown Alex was a messy painter, which also didn’t mix well with a retail premises, however adorable he was when covered with paint (plus Jake didn’t want him attempting to paint Keanu or Charlie’s faces again).

The bell over the door chimed as it was pushed open, Jake looked back just in time to see Jonathan entered, closely followed by Blake, who immediately abandoned him as he spotted Alex and Keanu, running over to the booth and sliding in next to Keanu, who after a quick greeting shared his paper and the three settled down to draw in relative quiet. Jonathan offered a friendly wave, holding the door open so his partner Ryan could enter, as he appeared to have his hands full with their latest placement. Jake felt a flutter of excitement that he could finally meet the little boy that Ryan had been talking about almost nonstop for the last six months, ever since they first laid eyes on him in the children’s home, he had been placed in.

There was only a year’s difference between Charlie and Sam (his brain helpfully supplied) so he’d been hoping that someone closer to his age might encourage Charlie to socialise some more. Looking at the terrified bundle in Ryan’s arms somewhat squashed that hope, it seemed Sam was currently as petrified as Charlie was, tiny hands curled into fists gripping Ryan’s shirt and he appeared to be trying to bury his face in Ryan’s chest, eyes screwed tightly shut. Ryan had dressed him to consider the weather, it was cold and frosty outside, but still even from this distance Jake could see that he was shaking like a leaf, though it could have just as easily been from terror as from the chill. Jake was still relieved when the door swung shut and the heating in the shop kicked in again in response to the drop in temperature. Ryan settled himself in one of the seats, whilst Jonathan approached the counter.

“Hey Chuckles! No hugs for Uncle Jonathan today?”

Charlie tightened his grip on Jake’s leg and Zayn chuckled from his post by the sink as the little blonde shook his head violently in disagreement.

“Nope, only Mama Hen’s good enough for Charlie today.”

Jake rolled his eyes and Zayn’s pet name, stooping so he could encourage Charlie into his arms to carry him across to where Ryan sat, knowing that Zayn would take care of whatever Jonathan wanted to order for them. Charlie took this as an unexpected gift, happily snuggling in and making content noises as he was carried. Jake chose to take a longer route, flipping the sign on the door to closed and dropping the catch on the door so that they could chat without fear of interruption. Once that was completed, he settled opposite Ryan, who smiled at the bundle in Jake’s arms, before cooing gently at the terrified boy in his.

“Sam look, there’s someone here to meet you. Are you going to say hello to Jake and Charlie?”

Like Charlie, Sam kept his eyes shut as he shook his head, Ryan laughed softly at how emphatic he was, resting a comforting hand on Sam’s head a stroking his fingers gently through the short blonde hair in a motion designed to soothe which, if the relaxing of the expression on Sam’s face was anything to go by, was successful. Charlie had taken the opportunity and lack of motion to use Jake’s chest as a pillow and appeared to be dozing off, a nap that was interrupted and Jonathan placed their drinks on the table with a clatter, the noise causing both Charlie and Sam to start and make their own noises of displeasure.

“Sorry little man, going to give Ryan a break to drink his coffee and give me some cuddles?”

Sam whined a little as Jonathan peeled his grip away from Ryan, before establishing a death grip on Jonathan as soon as he was close enough to. Jonathan wrapped one arm around Sam to keep him stable, using his free hand to pick up his own coffee and taking a mouthful of the scalding liquid.

“I don’t know how you can drink coffee that hot. I’d have burnt my mouth.”

“I’m used to drinking hot coffee darling, it’s you that insists on running round the house until yours is lukewarm.”

Ryan scoffed at this, though Jake could empathise with his plight, Zayn being the one in their household who tended to enjoy hot drink whilst still hot, Jake’s attention was usually divided between ensuring Keanu and Alex were ready for the school run whilst trying to keep Charlie at the breakfast table long enough for him to eat something. Breakfast obviously wasn’t something that had featured before in his routine, his family before had, in the kindest way of putting it, ignored him, the staff at the home he was placed in once his situation was identified hadn’t the manpower to ensure that every child in their care was given one on one time. For the first two weeks Charlie had been with them Jake had been focussed on teaching him what cutlery was used for, prior to that Charlie had just used his hands to eat.

“Can you just check on what Blake’s doing?”

At Ryan’s question to Jonathan, Jake glanced round to see the trio of nine-year-olds had abandoned drawing on the paper and now taken to drawing on one another instead. Jonathan groaned, rising from his seat and heading in their direction whilst Zayn, seeing an abandoned dish, nipped over to steal it to give it a wash.

“So, how’s Sam settling in?”

Ryan and Jonathan wouldn’t talk about either of their children’s situations whilst they were in earshot, and since Jonathan had left with Sam Jake figured this was as good a time as any to ask. Charlie had settled down again for an impromptu nap so there was no danger of him overhearing.

“He’s clingy, won’t settle if he’s parted from Jonathan or I, struggles to sleep on his own, so similar troubles to what we had with Blake when he was first placed. Waiting to take him home was a living nightmare, his father refused to surrender custody without a protracted legal fight, then we were warned in no uncertain terms not to put pictures of Sam on social media in case his father tracked him down, which was said to us in front of Sam, so he’s terrified his father is going to steal him away from us…did I mention Sam’s father before?”

“Only in terms of referring to him as a complete and utter bastard.”

Jake saw Ryan’s face twist in displeasure at the thought of the man, before he drew a deep breath and continued.

“We only know what they wrote in Sam’s file, that his mother died when Sam was a toddler, and he was left solely in the care of his father and his immediate family. From there his father seems to have managed every aspect of his life controlling what he wore, what he ate, who he socialised with…this continued on until Sam started school, when a teacher took note of what was happening to the boy that the authorities started to investigate, it wasn’t till Sam’s father used his influence in town to get the teacher fired they actually removed Sam from the house, that’s when we got the call asking whether we could offer him a place, something his father spent six months fighting in the Court to block, during which time we couldn’t take him home in case they needed to hand him back.”

Ryan finished his explanation and took a mouthful of his previously ignored coffee, grimacing at the coolness of the liquid and finishing the remainder in a few gulps. Jake looked up to motion at Zayn there was another dish available before realising he was attempting to wash the ink from Alex, Blake and Keanu, all of whom looked displeased at the turn of events but were prevented from running by Jonathan who’d taken up a post at the open end of the counter and was watching the clean-up operation.

“This is why we brought washable felt tips I suppose.”

Unable to think up an appropriate response Jake fell back on drawing Ryan’s attention back to the present and away from the nightmare that they must have endured. He could empathise with Ryan, both of them had suffered during adoption process, neither of them really understanding how a system that was supposed to help children find forever hopes could stack the odds so against any family wanting to assist. Zayn and Jonathan were quicker to anger at the constant repetitive nature of the questioning they underwent again and again to assess their suitability for the role, more than once they’d swapped stories of the times, they’d worried their partners were going to assault a social worker for a particularly probing, or poorly worded question. Jonathan had been furious on being questioned on how his military background might affect his attitudes to authority and punishment, Zayn’s trigger had been being questioned how their sexuality might impact on any child they chose to adopt.

It had been a long and painful process to be granted custody of Alex and Keanu for Jake and Zayn, Ryan and Jonathan had taken in Blake at the same time. That had been almost two years ago now and the children still attended regular play dates together whilst their parents gossiped and caught up on what was going on in each other’s lives. The comparative ease with which Charlie had been added to their family unit had taken Jake by surprise, as though their names were now on some list that deemed them suitable parents. Aside from Ryan’s struggles with the legal side of Sam’s adoption that too had been a lot smoother than their first attempt.

“Apparently they decided to give each other tattoos…”

Jonathan dropped back into his seat and the conversation, moving to give Sam back to Ryan, who he seemed a lot happier to be offered to, if the little grabby hand motions he was making were anything to go by.

“Guess we know who the favourite caregiver is.”

Washing up finally complete for now Zayn joined them, taking the last empty seat at the table and placing another tray of drinks in front of them. Jake twisted to place the remaining members of the brood in view, pleased to see they’d settled down with their own refreshed drinks and were now playing with some sort of action figures, or rather Keanu and Blake were, Alex seemed to be creating scenery for them to act as a backdrop…whatever kept him happy Jake supposed. Figuring Ryan would clue them in should they start acting up again he turned back, just in time to catch Ryan and Jonathan’s disgusted expressions at the loathed, politically correct term they’d all heard far too many times from the mouths of social workers.

“Sam’s just a mummy’s boy. Can you blame him?”

Jonathan winked at Ryan to remove any sting from his words, grinning at Ryan flushed, obviously wishing he could throw something rude back in his direction but abstaining to spare Sam’s little ears from any corruption. Sam was starting to fret against Ryan, who without breaking contact with him leant down and pulled a cuddly toy from a bag previously abandoned at his feet, a stuffed wolf which Sam latched onto with a happy noise, rubbing the soft fur against his face as he snuggled deeper into Ryan’s embrace, eyes fluttering shut.

“More like he’s learnt I’m usually carrying Wolfie and that I’m a good mattress for a nap. Oh! Reminds me, I got Charlie something too!”

Ryan rooted back in the bag and came back out clutching a cuddly stuffed cat, which he passed in Jake’s direction. Charlie didn’t stir from his slumber as Zayn gently lifted one of his arms and slid the cat under it before releasing his arm and letting it fall to pin the toy in place.

“He’ll love that when he wakes up.”

Charlie was obsessed with anything cat shaped, which had led to Zayn theorising he’d grown up around them and they’d likely been his closest companions. Jake wasn’t sure whether he was ready to commit to a kitten since he’d probably be the one cleaning up after it, so a cuddly equivalent couldn’t hurt until the boys were old enough to be roped into the responsibility of pet care.

“We got them from the same place, Blake wanted a duck-billed platypus, then sulked when they didn’t have one before he settled for a spider instead.”

Jake laughed, Keanu was similar and took delight in befuddling shop assistants with strange and outlandish requests that he seemed to find hilarious. Alex could usually be found cringing somewhere nearby as his brother hooted with laughter at the expressions he could invoke.

“So, when your nine-year-old isn’t traumatising shop assistants what does he do? How’s he doing at school? How is learning home schooling going?”

Zayn usually remained silent for long stretches in conversations, only speaking to pepper the subject with questions that usually elicited a wordy response from whoever he was asking. Ryan, as the main authority about the topic he was enquiring about drew in a deep breath before responding, Jonathan hid his amused smirk behind his coffee cup.

“He’s decided he’s going to be a tattoo artist when he grows up, and he’s opening a shop with Keanu, so head’s up there. School, it’s okay for him but the teachers keep saying he’s easily distracted, finally, do you have any idea how much you have to learn to be able to teach a five-year-old?”

Jake laughed softly at Ryan’s indignation, it had been one of the first stipulations in taking Sam on, that he was kept at home for schooling whilst the issues surrounding his father were resolved. Jonathan had chosen to work from home as an architect, Ryan had given up working shortly after completing his PhD, the reasons behind that choice had never been openly discussed but did place Ryan in the ideal position to look after the children full time.

“Want to take Charlie on when he reaches school age?”

Zayn’s offer wasn’t in jest, both Jake and he had worried over Charlie’s ability to cope if placed in a normal school environment. Both were happy to place Charlie’s education in their friend’s hands if it resulted in less anxiety for their youngest. Jake secretly wished though he’d let him broach the subject at a better time rather than spring it on Ryan out of the blue.

“We could get you business cards! Ryan Byrne, Private Educator!”

Jonathan had the ability to take the stress out of the situation by turning it into a joke, Ryan laughed at his partner, before sticking his tongue out in response.

“See if you still want me to after this one gets tested after his first year, if you’re happy with his scores then I’m happy to help?”

Jake beamed at the response; another weight lifted from his mind. From behind him he heard a scuffle breaking out and turned just in time to see Keanu ripping up one of Alex’s pictures as the other boy tried to stop him. Blake appeared to have frozen with indecision on which party to side with, Jake sighed, knowing whatever he did would wake Charlie he silently apologised to his sleeping baby, before rising from his seat to go and resolve whatever had kicked off.

“Uh oh, Mama Hen has got his feathers ruffled…”

If he heard Zayn mutter behind him Jake chose to ignore it.


End file.
